A Quiet Night, and an Unexpected Visitor

"Lieutenant Jaeger, are you in there?"

"Hey, 3rd Platoon! Snap out of it and get those tents up, now! Anyone slacking gets no dinner tonight!"

At Gunter's roar, the soldiers of 3rd Platoon scrambled into motion.

That was when the other platoon leaders drifted toward me.

"Lieutenant Jaeger."

Walter, 1st Platoon Leader, spoke first. He stroked his mustache and glanced back and forth between Kardor's corpse and me, his expression laced with admiration.

"What on earth is your eye for detail? How did you find that monster's weak point so quickly? If you hadn't gone for the eyes, we'd have wasted ammunition for nothing."

"Even orcs with hides like armor don't have armor over their eyeballs. Pure luck, sir. He just happened to stagger at the right moment and his eye was exposed."

I gave a plausible excuse, but Walter looked unconvinced.

"Sure, the eyes. Most living things have their weak spot there. But to think of it in the heat of that moment and issue such flawless orders... Honestly, modesty can be poison when it goes this far. Your command today was perfect. To be frank, when you shouted, I nearly found myself obeying."

Franz, 4th Platoon Leader, chimed in with shining eyes.

"That's right! The moment your voice rang out, sir, I watched the soldiers' eyes change. It was like a spell had been cast on them."

Calling the effects of Charming Speechcraft "a spell" was, ironically, a fairly accurate analogy. I smiled wryly to myself.

And behind them stood Erika. Arms crossed, she made a show of being uninterested, staring off somewhere else — but I could see her ears standing at full attention.

Status Analysis.

An inferiority complex on top of confusion over that moment. Even at a time like this, that's what she's worried about? I smirked and walked over to her.

"Lieutenant Stahlberg, is 2nd Platoon all right? Those things pushed pretty hard in your direction earlier, as I recall."

She flinched and looked up at me.

"H-hah! Who's worried about whom? My 2nd Platoon is perfectly fine. ...Well, thanks to you blocking the flank... we didn't take any serious damage, but..."

She trailed off, avoiding my eyes. But her fidgeting fingers and burning red ear-tips laid her honest feelings bare.

She does have her cute side after all.

Just then, a messenger came sprinting from the direction of the command tent.

"The Company Commander has summoned all platoon leaders to the command tent. Situation report and planning for the next operation!"

"Understood."

We left the aftermath to the soldiers and headed for the hastily erected company command tent. Inside stood a makeshift table with a map spread across it, and Serafina stood before it.

Status Analysis.

"We've just finished communicating with Regimental Headquarters."

She pointed to the radio on the table.

"The Regimental Commander personally commended us. He was particularly lavish in his praise regarding the killing of Kardor."

"Ooooh...!"

Franz let out a gasp of awe.

"But don't get carried away. This is only the beginning."

Serafina calmly settled the giddy atmosphere.

"We've driven back the enemy's main force; from here on, our task is to secure and fortify the forest. Until our supply lines are established, we will bivouac here and hold the front. This operation is going to be a long one."

"Understood, ma'am."

"Each platoon will divide the perimeter and rotate guard duty; off-duty personnel will rest as much as possible. And today's company duty officer will be Lieutenant Max Jäger. That's all — dismissed."

The meeting ended. Walter, Franz, and Erika saluted and filed out of the tent. Erika stole a glance at me on her way out, but said nothing — she just turned her flushed face away.

Once her subordinates were gone, Serafina's tension seemed to drain away, and she sank deep into her chair. Her fingertips trembled faintly as she pressed a hand to her pale forehead. She was enduring the pain even at this very moment.

Status Analysis.

I etched Serafina's last expression into my memory, then turned and left the command tent. Outside, the forest had already sunk into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deep darkness. The towering trees blotted out the sky until even starlight was scarce, and the heat of the day had cooled into a damp, chilly gloom that clung to everything.

By the time I returned to 3rd Platoon's sector, Sergeant Gunter had already finished organizing the bivouac. The orcs' barracks were both unsettling and riddled with booby traps, so the soldiers had pitched two-man tents or dug foxholes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the open ground nearby, draping themselves in ponchos.

I buttoned my collar and strapped on the duty officer's armband. The night air had grown colder still, and the forest's particular dampness clung to my skin.

The camp lay silent. The fervor of victory had settled, and the soldiers were laying their exhausted bodies down to sleep. All that could be heard, at intervals, were the footsteps of the sentries and the sound of their changing of the guard — or else nothing but leaves whispering in the wind.

I made my rounds slowly along the camp's perimeter.

"Halt. Password."

"Flash."

"...Thunder. Good work out here."

"You too, sir. Good work."

The sentries in the darkness saluted. I clapped them on the shoulders and checked my Minimap. No red dots. The orcs had been routed only hours ago; tonight would be quiet.

For my final stop, I headed back toward 3rd Platoon's sector. There, one shadow stood melted into the darkness.

"Corporal Hanna."

I called out to her, deliberately getting her rank wrong.

"C-Corporal Hanna Meyer...?"

"Huh. So you're still a corporal, are you?"

"......"

Hanna put on a deliberately wounded expression at my teasing.

"That's too cruel, Lieutenant. By service years, haven't I got more time in than you?"

"Oh? And so you'd have the gall to say your platoon leader has less time in than you, would you?"

"...Yes, sir."

"Excuse me...?"

"...Just kidding."

Pfft. Hanna burst into an innocent little laugh as she said it. She looked so utterly endearing that I stepped toward her and spread my arms wide.

And then — as if staking her claim to that space as her own — Hanna slid straight into my embrace. Even amid the cold night air, her warmth came through vivid and unmistakable.

Mwah.

I kissed her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and activated the skill.

Status Analysis.

"Forever, hm..."

I chuckled softly and wrapped my arms around her waist all the more tightly.

"Sergeant Hanna seems like she'd never think that way, but she's secretly quite greedy."

"......?"

Her puzzled look lasted only a moment.

"Then... do you dislike the idea?"

She murmured the words with her face buried in my chest.

"Not in the least."

With one hand, I gently stroked down the back of her head. The pale nape of her neck peeking out between her brown hair glowed in the darkness like an invitation. I pressed my lips to it and breathed hot air against her skin.

"Nngh...!"

Hanna's whole body flinched. I whispered by her ear.

"Your performance today was perfect. Detecting Kardor, reporting the priority targets to the Captain at exactly the right place and time — all of it."

"You flatter me, sir... I only did..."

"Don't be modest. You've earned the praise. And..."

I glanced casually around. The patrol was far off in the distance, and the shadows of the trees concealed us completely. On the Minimap, too, there were no other dots anywhere near us.

"...you've also earned a medal."

I slipped my hand inside the front of her combat uniform. When my hand, chilled by the night air, touched her burning skin, Hanna jolted and swallowed back a moan.

"L-Lieutenant... we're outside..."

"So does that mean you hate it?"

"......"

Hanna was silent for a moment. Her hazel eyes carefully swept our surroundings. Soon, satisfied that no one else was there, she opened her mouth.

"......No."

She was honest. I slid my hand up along her side and activated the skill.

Touch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Attunement.

The energy flowing from my fingertips stimulated her nerves — a feather-light tickle laced with the crackling jolt of electricity. It was a sensation in an entirely different league from simple caressing.

"Haaaah... nnh!"

Hanna's legs gave out and she collapsed against me, clinging on. Pretending to steady her, I pressed down firmly with my thumb just below her ribs, teasing the spot.

"Hnnk, ah...! Something's wrong with me... everywhere your hand touches, Lieutenant, it tingles and itches so strangely...♡"

"Keep your voice down. Someone will hear."

At my mischievous warning, Hanna hastily clapped a hand over her own mouth. But she couldn't hide the ragged breaths leaking through her fingers, or the feverish look in her eyes.

I moved my hand higher and cupped the soft flesh beneath the cup of her bra. Her body, made exquisitely sensitive by the skill's effects, overreacted to each and every touch.

"Mmph, nn...!"

Tears welled up in her eyes. Not from pain — they were physiological tears, pushed out by pleasure too intense to contain. Savoring her reactions, I slowly withdrew my hand.

"That's enough for tonight."

"Ah..."

Hanna let out a sigh full of disappointment. The way she gazed up at me with that flushed face was almost pitiful.

"There may be fighting again tomorrow. Conserve your strength."

I straightened her rumpled clothes as I spoke.

"And... Hanna, come to my tent in the small hours. When my shift is over, you can give me a massage or something."

At those words, her expression brightened in an instant.

"Yes, sir...! I'll be waiting, Lieutenant♡"

She planted a surprise kiss on my cheek — mwah — and scurried off into the darkness. I wiped her saliva from my lips and smirked.

She really is adorable.

The night deepened, and the forest lay still. But my mind was churning busily with calculations for what came next. My time with Hanna was pleasant enough, but a more important target still remained.

I told the remaining sentries I'd be catching a few hours of shut-eye and returned to my tent. On the Minimap, I could already see a single green dot moving from the command tent toward mine.

I sat inside the tent for a short while. Before long, a voice called to me from outside.

"...Lieutenant Jaeger, are you in there?"

It was Serafina.